Chapter 893: The Eye That Sees Fate (29)
KABOOM!!
“It’s moving…!!”
The flash of a lightning bolt striking the top of the tower from beyond the screen.
The council members, who had been sitting in the conference room observing the situation, shot to their feet and began to move about busily.
They clicked their tongues as they watched the magic tower, wrapped in flashing thunder, glow with a blue light.
“He showed up right on time, after all. Utterly relentless.”
“I heard Pyeongum’s dogs stepped up to buy some time, but it seems to have been useless.”
“Did you really believe the words of that old clan leader obsessed with self-preservation? It was likely just an excuse to manipulate the board as he pleased.”
Despite their disgust, orders to implement the pre-discussed countermeasures followed quickly.
“Send the official notice to the Unincorporated Zone Management Bureau as planned. We must protect the restricted areas and the assets under their management.”
“Is video recording still impossible? We can’t leave any evidence at this rate…!”
“I’ll call a scribe to record the entire situation. It will serve as minimal written evidence.”
It was a coordinated effort between the government and the council to prepare for what was to come, to manage the situation.
Of course, most of it was aimed at protecting classified secrets and assets rather than ensuring the safety of the citizens.
Nevertheless, the fact remained that they were skillfully evacuating the city’s outskirts.
“What are the reactions from the other magic towers? Weren’t messengers sent to seek their counsel on this matter?”
“More than eight magic towers, led by Thorben and Enolas, have responded to the call. They said they’ve sent wizards directly, so they should arrive within half a day.”
“We need to hurry. If they arrive after the fight begins, it’ll be far too late—”
“…Wait a minute. What is he doing on the roof of the magic tower?”
Amid the discussion, it didn’t take long for a dissenting opinion to emerge from among the council members watching the screen.
Even after recognizing the presence of Evan Martinez, the archmage was focused on conjuring lightning.
His face was completely invisible on the screen, but they could at least tell where he was standing.
“Does he have no intention of retrieving the Lighthouse Keeper?”
“Impossible. If he wasn’t going to fight, there would be no reason for him to return at this point—”
As he listened to the rapid exchange between the council members, Meyer opened his mouth.
“He’s trying to change the stage.”
“…The stage?”
“Van must know the Lighthouse Keeper’s destination.”
Meyer said, setting down a pile of cooperative agreements he had just been signing.
“If they start fighting now, the entire magic tower will be caught in the crossfire. Isn’t that what he wants to avoid?”
“That can’t be, does that mean….”
The expressions of the council members who belatedly understood Meyer’s words turned pale.
“Is he thinking the aftermath of the fight will be so great that we have to worry about the tower’s collapse?”
“From that point on, it’s not for us to judge.”
Meyer shrugged and turned his gaze to the screen, muttering.
“The real concern is whether we can properly comprehend what’s about to happen.”
Flash!!
A bolt of lightning fell from the sky, crashing into the tower’s Domain and adding to its light.
The sight of the magic tower glowing, as if being filled with the blue flashes of lightning.
As Adamant Thunder, standing on the rooftop, guided the direction of the thunderbolts with a raised hand…
Jenny, who had rushed up to the roof, gasped for breath and called out to Lennok.
“Van!!!”
“You’re late.”
Lennok smiled as he lowered the long lightning rod he was holding.
As he turned, brandishing it lightly like a conductor’s baton, the azure lightning bent and bowed its head in accordance with his gesture.
Crack-sizzle!!
As the intense vibration of the thunder made Jenny’s face turn deathly pale, Lennok spoke nonchalantly.
“I acquired a rather useful artifact. It’s an item that enhances the function of a lightning rod using magnetic polarity. It turned out to be quite useful for inducing natural phenomena.”
“There’s something more important than that—”
“I plan to use this to reinforce the tower’s Domain and imbue it with attributes based on will-thought. It should take about four minutes, so I need you to handle the tracking until then.”
“Didn’t you keep the Lighthouse Keeper because you needed her?”
Jenny, having struggled to reach Lennok’s side, asked while desperately trying to catch her breath.
“Lapis Falcia. If it was alright to let her go like this, then why are you doing all this?”
“……”
Lennok, about to answer Jenny’s question, momentarily closed his mouth.
She must have asked after a great deal of deliberation.
If things hadn’t become so twisted, she might never have asked such a question in the first place.
But for that very reason, Lennok felt he had to give Jenny a proper answer here.
“…There are many reasons. I have plenty of plausible justifications if you want them.”
Lennok said, lowering the hand that held the lightning rod.
“But the most important thing is that Lapis Falcia is facing a very great trial.”
“…A trial?”
“The mission of the Lighthouse Keeper, passed down from long ago. Perhaps beyond its conclusion, I might find what I’m looking for.”
“……”
Did Jenny understand the meaning of the answer Lennok was giving her now?
Lennok thought she probably did.
She possessed an intuition sharper than he gave her credit for, and she wasn’t so unobservant as to be unaware of the unfolding situation.
She was a person with a will and autonomy strong enough not to simply feign ignorance and passively entrust her future to others in the process.
That was why Lennok had to be honest with her here.
“I’m sorry, Jenny.”
Was it an apology for his selfish actions, or for the truth they had both tacitly ignored?
Either way, Jenny would judge and accept it on her own terms. That was the kind of person she was.
Lennok gave a bitter smile.
“I am greedy. I want to see and understand everything, even knowing it’s impossible.”
“……”
“But it’s also true that I’ve come this far using that impossible wish as my driving force. Now, all I can do is….”
At that moment, dozens of lightning bolts charged above the magic tower exploded outward, surging in all directions.
The lightning bolts, indiscriminately stretching towards the sky above the Domain, pursued the fiery turtle that was rapidly moving away in the distance.
Sizzzzzle!!!
The intense lightning flashing from above the magic tower continued without breaking, drawing a path of thunderbolts.
Having reassembled the tower’s aerial interception system into a thunderstorm spellcraft and created a passage to the ground, Lennok turned and spoke.
“…to use every means and method to clash with all my might.”
He would find the answer beyond the boundless notoriety and the ever-growing suspicion and fear.
If, within the infinite possibilities and mutability, there was an answer unique to Lennok himself.
If he had to face the world’s end to find his own end.
No matter how many people he met, no matter how many answers and ascensions he faced, in the end, only one sentiment remained within Lennok.
Jenny, who had been silent, sighed as she looked at Lennok’s back, standing before the path of lightning.
“You’re not the only greedy one. So am I.”
“……”
“Thank you for being honest. It’s funny for me to say this to you now, but….”
Jenny slowly turned, glancing up as she muttered.
“I’ll help you. That’s what partners are for, right?”
“Van is creating a path.”
The bird-headed giant, scattering a dark, inky light from its eyes, lowered its head and muttered while looking at the sky.
“The sky is close. It won’t be long before he reaches here.”
“……”
The sight of countless lightning bolts flashing out from the tower, extending unbroken and surging beyond the Domain.
Felix immediately recognized it as an adjustment to reorganize the magic tower’s Domain, a way to dramatically increase his travel distance from the tower.
“Evan Martinez. Was he the Watcher the Lighthouse Keeper trusts the most?”
Thump!!
As Felix spoke, he slowly lowered his arm and took a step.
Clutching a massive hammer in one hand, his approaching figure was truly menacing.
“I’ve heard a great deal about you lately. Enough to make my ears ring.”
Fwoosh!!
Lowering his stance with the hammer in hand, Felix bowed his head instead of immediately rushing forward.
It was a humble gesture, contrary to the menacing aura that suggested he was about to resume battle at any moment.
“Thank you for sparing Dylan. With your skill, killing him would not have been a difficult task.”
Felix’s demeanor, not forgetting his courtesies even in this urgent situation.
If one were to speak of a proud warrior, he was a man who knew honor better than anyone else Lennok knew.
“There is no need to apologize.”
Lennok shook his head.
“Lapis is unharmed. Let’s consider us even.”
“A magnanimous answer. That makes it all the more regrettable.”
Felix’s expression turned bitter.
“It’s a pity things have turned out this way. I know you are not a bad person. But—”
“You talk too much.”
Lennok cut him off and strode forward with a smile.
Heat radiated from his fingertips, creating a shimmering haze.
“I have no interest in debating a heron. Come at me. What need is there for words now?”
“…It seems you need to study your birds a bit more.”
Clank!!
Felix twisted the handle of his hammer and drew up his mana.
“Not a heron, an eagle. You’re completely wrong!!”
Felix twisted his shoulders and leaned forward, and Lennok slashed his hand through the air.
Clash. A thick shield of flame and the flat of the hammer collided, blasting a heavy wave of heat in all directions.
KWAAAANG!!!
A powerful shockwave and jets of flame swirled behind Lennok and Felix.
Dozens of fireballs materialized, exploded, and vanished, and a heavy, blunt light streaked through the gaps.
Each time the massive hammer struck at Lennok’s body, the air buckled and burst as if it were being gouged.
B-B-B-BOOM!!
[Linked Fire]
[Sixfold Crimson]
But Lennok didn’t yield a single step, continuously chanting heat magic and unleashing a barrage of firepower.
[Eightfold Manifestation]
Rings of flame surged from beneath his feet, overlapping and repelling each other, creating and then dissipating an impact rivaling the hammer’s.
“This fighting style…!!”
A marvel of forcibly inserting instantaneous firepower, realized through high-speed chanting, into a close-quarters exchange.
As Felix’s eyes widened as if to tear at the sight of this all-too-familiar fighting style…
[Flame Seal]
[Celestial Collapse]
A fist wreathed in fierce flames slammed into Felix’s stomach, sending him flying.
BAAAAAANG!!!
Felix’s body was knocked back dozens of meters, stopping precariously on the opposite side of the shell.
“…!!!”
Even though he had jammed the hammer’s handle in the way to disperse the impact just before, his mind reeled as if his stomach had been torn apart.
The expression of the wizard far away, igniting a crimson gleam in his eyes and smiling at Felix like a demon.
Seeing that, Felix’s mind instantly regained its composure.
“They said you were well-versed in martial arts. It wasn’t a lie.”
“And?”
“I’m just relieved. The wizard I know wouldn’t have pushed me back like that.”
“……”
BOOM! BOOM! KABOOM!!
While Lennok and Felix clashed, Mila and a woman named Belita, armed with bazookas, were pounding the turtle’s underbelly.
Tatiana chanted heat magic to counteract the flames erupting from the back of the staggering turtle.
In front of the turtle’s path on the eight-lane road, Drey was leading his unit, building a blockade of obstacles.
Following Felix, Manson, Soo-ryun, Weian, and the elite mercenaries from the Antares Mercenary Group prepared to descend.
On Tatiana’s orders, mages from the Magic Tower’s partner companies stood on the rooftops of buildings on both sides of the street, preparing for spellcraft bombardment.
At that moment, the fire turtle carrying the three of them came to an abrupt halt.
After staggering under the relentless barrage pounding its belly, it finally collapsed as if it could take no more.
KUUUUUNG!!
“D-did it work?!”
Mila and Belita, who were about to load another missile into their bazookas, flinched and pulled back their hands.
The turtle tucked its thick arms and legs into its shell, as if it no longer wanted to endure the incoming fire.
Finally, it tucked its head inside as well and stopped moving completely.
WHOOOSH!!
The flames that had been soaring above the shell vanished, leaving only a fierce gust of hot wind in their wake.
Just as Felix was about to close the distance, Lennok spoke.
“This is usually the end result when you summon a familiar without observing the fundamentals of summoning spellcraft.”
“…What?”
“You can induce it to move temporarily by providing stimulus… but the moment you break the spellcraft, the contract with the caster is not established.”
Lennok shook his head.
“Without a contract, it has no reason to obey the caster, and no emotional bond is formed. All you can do is wait for the moment the familiar moves according to its instincts.”
Gooooooh…!!
The wind began to blow.
Even knowing that the forces from the tower were surrounding them, Lennok spoke.
“The heat-type familiar, the Steel Turtle of Fiery Breath, has an incredibly lazy and dull nature. It has a personality perfectly suited for heat magic that requires preheating, but—”
THUMP!!
At that moment, the shell Lennok stood on seemed to shudder faintly.
It felt as if a tremendous repulsive force was building up inside the shell, ready to erupt at any moment.
At that chilling sense of unease, Felix instinctively tightened his grip on his hammer and lowered his stance.
Lennok smiled.
“—the one ability it’s born with surpasses the limits of its species.”
“What in the world does that—”
KWAAAAAAAH!!!
A colossal flame, dozens of meters long, erupted from beneath the shell.
From the openings where the turtle’s limbs should have been, intense flames gushed out instead of the familiar’s spiritual body.
As if using that blaze as a propellant, the shell began to slide across the ground, accelerating at an incredible speed.
DRRRRRRRRRK!!!!
KABOOOM!!
It sent the barricades and blockades in front of the eight-lane road flying like toys.
Its momentum was so fast and heavy it was hard to believe it was the same summon that had been walking slowly moments before.
Even as it moved, it spun, throwing off the mercenaries who had landed on its back.
“A-are you crazy!!!!”
“Fuck, what is this?!!!”
Tatiana, witnessing this, ran after the summon, shouting into her communicator.
“Cease chanting!! Don’t attack anymore, that thing is—”
“—Absorbing and releasing the impact!!”
Tatiana, in dismay, and Felix, clinging to the shell, shouted at the same time.
They had belatedly realized why the fire turtle had hidden in its shell under the relentless barrage.
Why Lennok had blatantly left the summon undefended.
“When it receives more than a certain amount of impact, it ceases all metabolism and converts the stored shock into propulsive force to escape.”
KUGAGAGA!!
Lennok laughed from atop the spinning shell as he supported Lapis.
“The stronger the stored impact, the stronger the propulsion. It has the condition of needing preheating and only working as a counter, but as tricky as the conditions are—”
As tricky as the conditions are, the more powerful it is.
Felix, instinctively realizing he couldn’t stop this escape, gritted his teeth.
“Unbelievable…!! You’re telling me a mere summon can store and convert impact energy with its natural body alone!!”
“Not its body. It’s a curse placed upon this type of summon.”
“A curse?!”
KWAAANG!!
As Felix was about to say more, a fragment from the barricade grazed his shoulder, shaking his body.
The fragment carried enough acceleration to momentarily unbalance the powerful body of the bird-headed giant.
Lennok watched him and said.
“That’s why your heat magician didn’t know much about this summon’s ability.”
“……!!”
The Sanctuary of Curses in Yorta’s Mugan.
If not for the memories of what he saw and heard there, Lennok too would have never known this fact.
But the important thing wasn’t the secret history of the curse on the Steel Turtle of Fiery Breath.
“It’s time.”
KUOOOOO!!
A massive concrete wall appeared before the speeding shell.
The wall of the Hexagonal Fortress, a corner of Vulcan’s underworld that once held a seat among the three leaders.
The wall of the Hexagonal Fortress and the shell of the Steel Turtle of Fiery Breath collided at subsonic speed.
KWAAAAAAAANG!!!!
The impact sent Felix, who was on top of the shell, flying backward.
The fire turtle’s shell, embedded in the wall, spun violently, continuously spewing flames.
But what truly astonished Tatiana, watching from a distance, was the fact that…
“It blocked it…?!”
The wall of the Hexagonal Fortress, which looked like it would shatter at any moment, had withstood the charge of the Steel Turtle of Fiery Breath.
The wall was cracked, and the turtle’s shell was lodged in it, twitching and spewing flames, but the fortress still stood, unbroken.
Just as Tatiana was stunned by the wall’s unexpected durability, Soo-ryun’s weary voice echoed through the communicator.
-The fortress wall is protected by the power of a transcendent barrier master. It can withstand most physical force…!
“You mean Evan Martinez’s attempt was meaningless from the start?”
-No.
Chhhk-
The giant’s voice coming through the communicator was unusually subdued.
-There is no sign of Evan Martinez or Lapis Falcia anywhere.
“……”
-Their presence vanished completely right after the collision. They may have already entered the fortress….
Had Evan Martinez known from the beginning that he wouldn’t be able to break through the Hexagonal Fortress’s wall?
If he had been aware of that and used the summon’s collision as a decoy to hide his method of entering the fortress…
Just as Tatiana grasped this and began to rapidly formulate a new plan…
-All personnel on site, withdraw.
Jenny said in a quiet voice.
-The operation is terminated here. All personnel, return to the magic tower and focus on facility repairs.
“…Jenny?”
No further reply came from Jenny.
Krrrrrumble…!!
Instead, from beyond the darkly distorted sky, a tingling peal of thunder began to echo.
Amidst the shouting and flashing of thunder and lightning, the azure glow of thunderbolts approached from afar.
A wide path of lightning, piercing down from the heavens.
A wizard walked out onto it, slowly rolling his shoulders.
“From now on, I will handle this myself.”
“…Van.”
“I’d appreciate it if everyone would clear the area.”
Adamant Thunder, holding the gleaming lightning rod like a baton, smiled.
“I don’t think I can afford to worry about collateral damage while I fight.”
Tap, tap.
He walked down a wooden corridor illuminated by a faint lantern.
Lapis, who had been glancing behind her, looked at Lennok walking ahead to gauge the direction and asked.
“Lord Evan. This place is…”
“A secret passage of the Hexagonal Fortress.”
Lennok replied, taking out an ignition stone and lighting it.
Turning back to Lapis in the flickering light of the corridor, Lennok explained.
“It’s an escape route passed down among the masters of the fortress. Originally, it was made for escape, but….”
Conversely, it could also be used to secretly enter the fortress.
As Lapis nodded, Lennok spoke again.
“This passage was made for the families known as the ‘Members’ within the fortress. You wouldn’t know of its existence unless you’d been inside the mansion’s sanctuary yourself.”
“I see….”
Lapis accepted Lennok’s words but looked at him nervously before asking with difficulty.
“About that fact, since when….”
How did Lennok know about the existence of this passage?
From Lapis’s perspective, it would be stranger if she wasn’t curious about that.
Lennok, who had been silently stroking the inner wall of the passage, answered.
“This fortress is a work touched by the hands of Jindun.”
“What?!”
“It’s an isolated area that borrowed barrier techniques to protect the sanctuary at the center of the fortress.”
“……”
Lennok turned away from the visibly shocked Lapis and added.
“The summon’s inability to breach the outer wall was due to that influence. Simple impact is a poor match against barrier arts.”
“I see. So that’s why….”
Lapis, who knew that Evan had inherited the barrier arts of Jindun, would now understand why Lennok was so familiar with the fortress’s structure.
It wouldn’t be strange for a successor of Jindun to be knowledgeable about a legacy of Jindun.
Technically, the order was reversed, but he didn’t have time to explain that fact to Lapis.
“It should be right around here….”
Click, clack!!
With a soft noise, a hidden door opened and a wooden ladder descended.
He had Lapis go up first, and Lennok followed.
A dusty wooden mansion. It felt like a cold wind blew through the eerie air, as if no one had been in or out.
This was the central residence of one of the leading families of the former Eightfold Fortress.
In the yard visible through the window, various construction equipment, presumably belonging to Chen, was parked.
“This way.”
Lennok easily guided Lapis to the sanctuary located in the innermost part of the mansion.
A quiet patch of grass in the deepest part of the mansion, where time seemed to have stopped.
Upon it, bathed in a sliver of sunlight, was the shape of an old, abandoned coffin.
“This is….”
Just by standing before it, Lapis seemed to recognize the existence of the sanctuary Lennok had mentioned.